A High Court in Benin City yesterday jailed a bank official 14 years, for defrauding a customer of N20 million.The victim, Mrs. Gloria Ogbeide, was accused of defrauding ex-Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s Special Adviser on Security, Mr. Mikano Kadiri and his wife.

The convict, who was the accounts manager to the family, defrauded Mikano of N5 million, while his wife was swindled of N15 million. In suit No B/CD/32C/2016, the State Vs. Gloria Ogbeide, the defendant was convicted on a two-count charge, under section 1(1)(c) of the Advanced Free Fraud and other related offences of the law of the federation

Justice Efe Ikpomwonba found the accused guilty on both count charges, and sentenced her to the imprisonment, which would run concurrently without any option of a fine.

Ogbeide was first arrested in January 2016 and remanded in prison custody on the order of an Oredo Magistrate’s Court, pending her arraignment before a competent court. She was later arraigned before Justice Adejumo of Oredo Magistrate’s Court 4 on allegation of advance free fraud, under the guise of operating a fixed-deposit account for them.

She was alleged to have convinced the family to open the account with N15 million.The convict was said to have attracted Mrs. Kadiri by presenting a birthday cake with the official logo, which she purported to be from the first generation bank.

Thinking the gesture was for being a valued customer, she accepted to fix the money, which, she was told could be withdrawn on request.But, the trouble started when she requested to have access to the money and was told that it had been borrowed to the bank’s cooperatives society.She later discovered that the bank does not operate a co-operative, as the money could not be traced.Sensing danger, Ogbeide resigned from the bank, alleging threat to life by the family, before she was arrested.